tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59289150883654775272019-06-19T10:32:30.197-07:00Michael DaykinSome what random thoughts on faith, pastoring, and life in general from a bald guy who loves books and equipping families to be all God designed them to be.Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-75158832938455418752019-04-05T10:19:00.001-07:002019-04-05T10:19:28.648-07:00Spring is comingA well known line from a popular show I seem to be the only one who isn't watching, is "Winter is coming." This line has been the source of many memes and become rooted in our popular culture. Well here in the north winter has come and now, is going.<br /><br />This was our second winter in the north and though I enjoyed it, I'm ready for spring. Last year I remember watching a neighbour break up the snow banks on his lawn and then run his snowblower over it to get his lawn out a week or so earlier. I thought he was a little crazy but this year, I get it. I've made a habit of coming home and taking the snow shovel and craving a little off the top of the snow bank and tossing it into the road. I'm looking forward to the lawn being free and the kids playing outside.<br /><br />One of the highlights of this past winter was spending time a our local community-run ski hill. Last year I took lessons at this hill only to take one bad turn and break my leg in the most epic and graceless way possible. Not ready to jump on the skis again, I went up to see how I could pitch in and and help be a part of the neighbourhood. I ended up working as a lift operator one day and a couple evenings a week. There were nights it was bitterly cold and the shifts seemed long but the relationships I started to make on the hill were worth it. It was so great to see little kids who were there to learn slowly get better as the season went on, to start to recognize the regulars and now not just be strangers when we pass on the street. Overall it was a great way to spend some time this winter and I will seriously consider it again next year.<br /><br />As good as it was to be at the hill, I was ready to be done. As it the temperature has gone up and the snow piles gone down, I'm anxious to get to other things. The house we bought last year has a shop in the back and as we started on some of the basic stuff we needed to do to the house I remembered how much I loved working with wood and just building stuff. So over the winter, we made plans of what we wanted to do in and around our house and I started accumulating the tools to complete them.<br /><br />I may start sharing some of my projects here as we go. As we shift into spring and then summer I am planning on getting caught up on my book reviews. I have read some great ones over the past few months I'd love to share with you. All in time however as each season presents different opportunities.Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-76744231060827024452018-08-31T08:41:00.002-07:002018-08-31T08:41:40.357-07:00Review: The Return by Lacey Strum<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Return by Lacy Strum is an honest look at the author's journey to learning how to love God in her every day. Overall this book is very good and I appreciated her honesty and how she struggled through her journey to learn what God needed her to learn. The book is broken up into short sections where she tells a part of her story, journal entries, song lyrics or poems she wrote and a daily journal page. I appreciate her transparency and honestly but the format does not appeal to my analytical, linear brain and made it hard for me to follow. For those who are wired in a more artistic and non-linear way (like my wife) this book is sure to be a wonderful encouragement and something to be savored&nbsp;and mulled over.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</span>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-66946207383331202972018-06-28T14:31:00.000-07:002018-06-28T14:35:26.080-07:00Review: Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving with Hope after Miscarriage and Loss <span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Miscarriage is not a common topic of conversation in many circles and yet it is something that touches many, many lives. If you have not experienced this yourself, you probably know someone who has, even if they've never spoken of it. It is not something that has touched our family directly but has touched a number we care about. Because it is something not often talked about I was encouraged when I saw this book by Adriel Booker because I was hopeful it would provide comfort to many who hurt and ache in silence.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">What jumped out at me as a dad and pastor, was the inclusion of a letter to dads in the back written by the author's husband. Though I've never lost a child, we do have a child with Down Syndrome for whom I went through a period of mourning and grief. Though my pain is not the same as that the Bookers, or anyone else who has lost a baby, there is still commonality and I found comfort in another dad sharing his grief.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Two other appendices&nbsp;that are included provide ideas for memorializing your child and helping your other children process their grief. Though mothers certainly carry the heaviest burden in the loss of child and it is for them this book is written, the rest of the family must not be forgotten.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">As a man, I cannot honestly discern how much comfort this would be to a woman walking this road of grief but I can say it certainly gives a window into the heart and mind of a woman who is.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">As a pastor, I would say this book is worth having for the appendices because as you do life with the people in your congregation, you will walk this journey with someone at some point. I would also recommend having a copy on hand ready to give to one who needs it, I do.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I received this book from Baker Books and was not required to write a positive review.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801075815&amp;linkId=318c8663f21ccf68d317cc4a2213d9f9" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-44416706101346642082018-06-19T09:54:00.001-07:002018-06-19T10:52:30.672-07:00On submitting to authorities and demanding submission<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">As a pastor, I am very hesitant to wade into political issues. This is not to say I don’t have political views that are informed by my faith or that I don't try to teach how we take our faith into the public square. I don’t however believe any particular politician or party will always have everything right or be in complete alignment with my faith and values and I recognize that there are brothers and sisters in Christ who fall all across the political spectrum.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I do however, feel compelled to articulate some thoughts when a politician or government official uses scripture to explain or justify a policy or action taken by their government. Regardless of how much one believes any person of faith, be it a pastor or layperson, should speak their faith into the political arena, I should think we can agree that any statement made publicly should be evaluated. I believe that someone such as myself who has read and studied the Bible throughout my life in addition to 7 years of post-secondary, and stands each week to help those I minster to understand and apply scripture, is qualified to evaluate a politician’s use of those very scriptures. What I seek to do here is not evaluate policies or actions from a partisan position, but rather share what I believe was a troubling misuse of scripture to justify actions taken.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Unless you have been completely disconnected from the world for the past week you likely know the news story that prompted this. There is a great deal of information and mis-information circulating and what is credible or not is hotly debated. I do not wish to wade into the debate, other than to say when the situation on the ground is one where families are being separated there is either an extremely flawed directive going out to those doing the separating or there are families in such dire straights that they see no other options. Either way, anyone who truly takes Jesus and His teaching seriously should be greatly troubled and prompted to action and many other brothers and sisters have spoken to this fact.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">What I found particularly troubling this past week was the statement from a top government official that it is biblical to follow the law, citing Romans 13:1. This verse reads “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (NIV) In fact, if one reads all the way through to verse 6, it is very clear that governments are established by God, they are His instruments to bring order and wrath and therefore we must submit to them.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Though not cited at the time, his point is further strengthened when we look at 1 Peter 2:13-14 which reads “13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” (NIV) This is part of a larger block that tells us to properly submit to authority over us in the various areas of our lives. So the bottom line is, yes, we as Christians are to submit to the governing authorities over us. Of course there are limits to that when the government compels us violate our conscience and our faith and living in a democracy we should certainly use our voice and influence in the public square to shape public policy but that’s not my point here today.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">My struggle with the statements made by this official and others in the administration is this, it is one thing for us as believers to submit to the authorities over us, it is another thing for the authorities to cite these texts as a justification for their actions. These commands were written to those who were to submit to authority, not to the authorities to give them carte blanche authority to do whatever they see fit. In fact, if one reads the whole Bible they will find many instructions as to how those in authority and leaders should act in a godly way. Here it must be noted that in the case of the two passages cited, the authorities that the Apostles Paul and Peter where under in no way represented “Christian Values” nor did they govern by biblical principles.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">The New Testament was written in the time of Roman rule, which we as Christians must remember was rarely favorable to Christians, or anyone else who upset the status quo. The book of Romans was almost certainly written in the first few years of Nero’s reign and fresh in the memory of the church was the expulsion from Rome of all Jews. This was likely the result of the disruption caused when many began turning to Christ, under emperor Claudius. 1 Peter was written later, when Nero had begun his campaign of persecution against Christians which included the kind of brutality the Romans excelled at. It was in these times, with emperors who killed at a whim, who sent armies to crush any uprising, who rounded up people to be enslaved, beaten, thrown the in the area or even used as human torches, that both the Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter said we are to submit to the authorities over us. With that in view I find it deeply troubling when any government official stands up and essentially say obey the law, the Bible says submit to the government, and in so doing putting themselves in same camp as those who ruled in the time of Peter &amp; Paul as well as countless others who have cited the same texts to justify themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">What makes matters worse is this is from a government that has courted the support of many prominent church leaders and has at times claimed to champion Christian values. This administration, as with any administration has taken many actions that have faced great outcry and controversy however, what I believe sets this past week apart is when then went scripture to justify their actions, they went straight for submission. Had they pulled a verse (and by some miracle kept it in its context) that directly supported the reason for their actions that would be one thing. Going however straight for “the Bible says to obey,” almost certainly points to something not adding up. It is much like one marriage counselor's take on the command just a few verses later in 1 Peter, that commands wives to submit to their husbands. This counselor has observed that in decades of marriage counselling he had not encountered a single case where a “submission problem” wasn’t really an issue of a demanding husband who was showing a lack of maturity and failure to prioritize of the kind of love he was to have for his wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">The bottom line is, whenever someone, be it a husband, a boss or even a government chooses to defend their actions from Scripture and the full extent of their argument is “because the Bible tell you to submit to me” take pause, because barring any other biblical argument, they are submitting to no authority but their own. If anyone is going to use the Bible to call for others to submit, they better be ready to have their actions evaluated against the rest of the scripture, otherwise they run the risk of simply being another Nero, and in a liberal democracy where every citizen has to the right to speak up we must.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-13407664611826350952018-05-02T09:46:00.001-07:002018-05-02T09:46:27.854-07:00Review: Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">We view everything we read, see and hear through our own set of lens and filters. Often the difference between the lens and filters we have and those others have, causes things to be "lost in translation" causing to, at best miss a nuance, and at worse miss the point completely. The greatest such gaps occur when communication is done cross-culturally, especially with very different cultures. In "Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus" Lois Tverberg walks us who were raised in a modern western worldview across the gap between us and the first century Jewish worldview the New Testament was written in.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I have long been aware of the gap between our mindset and that of the Biblical writers and have spent time and study to bridge that gap for myself but I found every chapter to contain new insights or framed things in a new way for me. Tverberg walks us through the key differences between the eastern mindset of the Bible and our western one, including differences in the structure of Hebrew vs. English, the meaning of narrative&nbsp;vs. propositions and arguments, group identity vs. individual identity and viewing ourselves as small and insignificant&nbsp;vs. viewing God as small.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The final section focusing on seeing the Messiah through Hebrew eyes is very enlightening. Tverberg walks us through the Hebrew ways of remembering and stringing together passages of scripture. I particularly enjoyed her discussion on the regular synagogue&nbsp;readings and how they have changed over the years.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Each chapter also includes a section of Tools &amp; Reflection to point the reader towards a further look at the topic at hand. There is also very interesting appendix&nbsp;of thirty useful Hebrew words for study. Knowing these words and keeping them in mind is very helpful in applying this book to one's personal Bible Study.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, I would highly recommend this book as it gives valuable insight into how to read and understand the context of scripture.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book by BakerBooks a division of Baker Publishing Group in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.</span><br /><br /> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801017157&amp;linkId=e18224c74b2e1a34744f18e84cfff94e" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-57628741335545234132018-04-17T11:30:00.001-07:002018-04-17T11:33:26.137-07:00Review: The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus by D. A. Carson<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Recently I was looking for something that did a good job at thoroughly and thoughtfully walked through the teaching on the coming of the Holy Spirit and so I asked my former Theology professor who pointed me to this work of Carson’s. Though over 35 years old, he told me it is still one of the best treatments of the topic. I was then pleasantly surprised to see it had been repackaged and reprinted. It an age when new books are released at an alarming rate, one that is in print over 3 decades after being written says something.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Having read much of Carson over the years, I knew that this book would go into great detail and had the potential to be a very heavy read. I found however as I worked through it that it was relatively easy to read and Carson’s points well built and not overly technical. Though not overly heavy and technical, the book is also not a lightweight full of filler or fluff. As anyone who has read much of Carson knows, he is no light weight, however this book certainly strikes a good balance between providing an in-depth scholarly walk through John 14-17 and yet remaining accessible to the serious reader.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">In short, if you are looking for something to go deep into this part of the Gospel of John that is not overly technical, this is certainly the book for you. If you are preaching through the Gospel of John, this is a definite read.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801075904&amp;linkId=0c1a1549a2cf242e159d7e5284400c6a" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-10611719219391745322018-03-23T12:19:00.000-07:002018-03-23T12:24:08.345-07:00Review: 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I'm sure for many a book with the sub-title of "A Guide to Understanding and Teaching Theology" doesn't get many people excited but for me, anything that helps clearly and concisely communication core doctrine does. The Christian faith has this fascinating&nbsp;nature of being both immensely simple, so that a child can grasp the core of it, and yet also extremely deep and rich in that one can spend their whole life studying it and still be amazed by new insights. When it comes to books that delve into the depths or Christian doctrine, the trouble is many are either cover too little ground, usually by not exploring differing nuances on doctrines not universally agreed upon, or are simply too large and intimidating for the average reader. Alternately, larger volumes are simply broken up into multiple, more manageable volumes.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">In this volume by Gregg Allison, I found a very good middle of the road approach to covering the core doctrines in a clear and concise way. The 50 chapters are grouped into 8 parts and follow an order common in many systematic theology texts. Each chapter beings with a short one or two sentence&nbsp;summary of the doctrine, followed by a short list of the main themes of the doctrine and a list of key scripture references. The bulk of each chapter is made up of the <i>Understanding the Doctrine</i> section which divided into three parts: Major Affirmations, Biblical Support; and Major Errors. I really appreciated&nbsp;this breakdown as the first part explains what the particular doctrine affirms and why it matters, the second part shows how we get to this understanding from scripture and the third where the misunderstanding&nbsp;or misapplying leads to error.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">The final sections of each chapter provide guidance</span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">&nbsp;in how to apply the doctrine to one's life and how to teach (including a less outline) the doctrine to others.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">One thing I must commend this Allison for in this book is that he takes the time to acknowledge&nbsp;and explain differing view on some of the doctrines on which there are differences in various traditions. For example, the first chapter I flipped to in order to evaluate how narrow a view would be presented was chapter on "The Gifts of the Holy Spirit." In this chapter both the cessationist and continualist views are discussed. Further, in the <i>Major Errors</i> section he points out the errors of both over-emphasizing as well as under-emphasizing the gifts of the spirit. Even in the guidance&nbsp;for teaching this doctrine, he points out that an individual church's position is what should be emphasized but not without acknowledging&nbsp;and explaining the other side.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Finally each chapter ends with a list of resources&nbsp;for further study. Nearly every chapter this list includes the appropriate chapter from popular evangelical systematic theologies (e.g. Erickson, Grudem &amp; Horton) providing one ample opportunity to dig deeper into any of doctrines discussed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Overall I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to better understand the doctrines of the Christian faith without having to commit to the thousand plus pages most such works cover but still wanting to get out of the shallow end. This book could also be a good primer or refresher if you need to read or review one of the common systematic theology texts. Finally, it would make a good text for an adult class in a church context as it would provide people with an excellent foundation.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">*I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801019125&amp;linkId=2913b53b1b90dcfe57dc23c7dd4f4b9a" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-36861986321130097532018-03-06T12:11:00.001-08:002018-03-06T12:11:39.852-08:00A Season for Everything Under the Sun<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following was published on Feb 17 in the PG Citizen in the Clergy Comment column. Two days after publication I fell and broke my knee, kicking off a season of rest and recovery. I definately need to take my own words to heart.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The changing of seasons is something that I often reflect on. Some changes of season are fairly evident, others are subtler and often missed until well after the fact. Our family recently began a new season when we packed up the house we’d called home for over 5 years in Metro Vancouver and drove here to Prince George. This season had a definite start as we arrived here one evening in September, after a day of driving and though we had woken in our “old house” we went to bed in our “new house” and a new adventure had begun.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the days progressed and we began to find our way around our new home we noticed the change of summer giving way to fall and then fall giving way to winter. We enjoyed watching the subtle changes, the colour of the leaves, the earlier sunset and of course the green of the grass being blanketed in the white of snow. At times it seemed each day brought something new. Perhaps we took more notice of the changes this year because it was the first time our first year in the North, but I am glad we were able to take time to notice the changes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Life is full of seasons, and every season will have its own joys and sorrows, excitements and challenges. As it says in the opening verse of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” The words that follow are known to many as the lyrics of that 1965 hit song by The Byrds “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and serve as a great reminder that there will be a season for everything and we must, at times, slow down and recognize the season we are in and that it will pass. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just this week, as I was about to head out to run the snow-blower over the driveway once again, I saw my father had posted pictures of the first flower popping up in the family garden. I’ve also learned that many folks here leave their snow shovels behind and flee to Mexico or other warm places, to simply escape the chill of our northern winter. Now, it can be tempting to hasten the move from one season of life, or to try and avoid it completely. It can be hard to see others in a place we want to be whether you’re single and wish to be married, childless longing for a child, a parent longing for the empty nest, a student longing to graduate and get a job or shoveling a driveway and longing for Mexico, but we must always ask ourselves, what might God be trying to teach us in this season and what might I miss by avoiding it?.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a season for everything and no matter what season you’re in, take time to listen for what God may be telling you in this season before it passes.&nbsp;</span></span>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-4458152223548044932018-02-17T12:38:00.000-08:002018-03-06T13:46:03.229-08:00Review: Talking With Your Kids About God<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">"Talking With Your Kids About God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have" by Natasha Crain is in my opinion a value resource for parents today. These 30 conversations are grouped into 5 parts including, The Existence&nbsp;of God, Science and God, The Nature of God, Believing in God and The Difference God Makes. Each of the 30 chapters comprise of several pages explaining the topic at hand and how to discuss it with your kids followed by a short bulleted&nbsp;list of Key Points and the a conversation guide. The Key Points and Conversation Guides are very helpful to ensure the reader doesn't get muddled in the details.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I appreciated&nbsp;Crain's approach, addressing many of the common arguments brought against Christianity particularly&nbsp;in regards to the existence&nbsp;of God and tension often brought into the realm of faith vs. science. I felt the last section was of particular value however as she walks us through conversations about what difference God makes. This final section is so important because it gives the "so what" to the conversation that takes it beyond mere intellectual ascent that these things are true. It is these "so what" questions that we have to address with our kids because simply convincing them there is a God or that science and religion can co-exist are meaningless if we can't help them move beyond convincing them to a place of God making an actual difference in their lives.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I did receive a copy of this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review.</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801075521&amp;linkId=c354cc9ebd673529e8864a3e13779664" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-5212778479902529112017-12-16T15:50:00.001-08:002017-12-18T12:30:25.921-08:00Lego Winter Village 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year as we are in a larger home we had the ability to build our Winter Village more that twice the size it was last year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First the crew had to work hard to lay the track.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SGp3jo39GgU/WjWR5G0CCGI/AAAAAAAAo-k/M4c1y7EERMAgzYOdxlDVwrP988OwJEYeQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_7997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SGp3jo39GgU/WjWR5G0CCGI/AAAAAAAAo-k/M4c1y7EERMAgzYOdxlDVwrP988OwJEYeQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_7997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EtYRWCI_ow8/WjWR5A5_sbI/AAAAAAAAo-k/nN7F74OC-NkVWkY-UiaqCveNuarNDYuNgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_7998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EtYRWCI_ow8/WjWR5A5_sbI/AAAAAAAAo-k/nN7F74OC-NkVWkY-UiaqCveNuarNDYuNgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_7998.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The crew worked very hard to get it just right.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DxbvKN75bbU/WjWR5APYNvI/AAAAAAAAo-k/4LUn-3GpW1sSDWF4pqgg189ifTUqMYtYACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_7999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DxbvKN75bbU/WjWR5APYNvI/AAAAAAAAo-k/4LUn-3GpW1sSDWF4pqgg189ifTUqMYtYACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_7999.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TDtzFroZPYM/WjWR5GBwLEI/AAAAAAAAo-k/SIlJ0-qu5J0er9XfHeDyMUZiVMnUdDMywCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TDtzFroZPYM/WjWR5GBwLEI/AAAAAAAAo-k/SIlJ0-qu5J0er9XfHeDyMUZiVMnUdDMywCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UFdWH2FHpvE/WjWR5IAUbHI/AAAAAAAAo-k/t2TYzz3U3f8kW17m74nJrC_GOHwccOytQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UFdWH2FHpvE/WjWR5IAUbHI/AAAAAAAAo-k/t2TYzz3U3f8kW17m74nJrC_GOHwccOytQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKiPuSnPTBE/WjWR5N3tNaI/AAAAAAAAo-k/dTEkOdlE8G48pJMtBOUuuj93vrfDfKuQgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKiPuSnPTBE/WjWR5N3tNaI/AAAAAAAAo-k/dTEkOdlE8G48pJMtBOUuuj93vrfDfKuQgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sSNCCnDCSL0/WjWR5DUP2TI/AAAAAAAAo-k/EyG8lwzKYdEttGU75zbjMSFiPBSPlKClwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sSNCCnDCSL0/WjWR5DUP2TI/AAAAAAAAo-k/EyG8lwzKYdEttGU75zbjMSFiPBSPlKClwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />After the track was laid, the new station began to take shape.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VaDGVDDGvj0/WjWR5JFjKII/AAAAAAAAo-k/QwEIVmJa5RAotlA9zlaKD39Zy6ZpeG0-gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VaDGVDDGvj0/WjWR5JFjKII/AAAAAAAAo-k/QwEIVmJa5RAotlA9zlaKD39Zy6ZpeG0-gCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-IozvrNFZw/WjWR5O6byhI/AAAAAAAAo-k/H9-xifqKPXkeQ0DvGKVoUfrWdMdDA4xXACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-IozvrNFZw/WjWR5O6byhI/AAAAAAAAo-k/H9-xifqKPXkeQ0DvGKVoUfrWdMdDA4xXACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4BkIOstAjU/WjWR5G89buI/AAAAAAAAo-k/6lp81n_7-Owy2prR6fkVYAKboJeoVmOXQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4BkIOstAjU/WjWR5G89buI/AAAAAAAAo-k/6lp81n_7-Owy2prR6fkVYAKboJeoVmOXQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8106.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f12OskYbf_o/WjWR5HyoAyI/AAAAAAAAo-k/dbxXjDisdFwFwtiiifz3G4TSm96xKhS9gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f12OskYbf_o/WjWR5HyoAyI/AAAAAAAAo-k/dbxXjDisdFwFwtiiifz3G4TSm96xKhS9gCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8107.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MBF2EhEs2js/WjWR5FngfaI/AAAAAAAAo-k/I9v2QVqAtaU08OZvb6aihw46AK4Bp3tcQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MBF2EhEs2js/WjWR5FngfaI/AAAAAAAAo-k/I9v2QVqAtaU08OZvb6aihw46AK4Bp3tcQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Some finishing touches and the station was looking good.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wd4BGhjsYd4/WjWR5Am4nTI/AAAAAAAAo-k/TUlok6s-xpoeGTubIIKFky3AwBeJJSpfwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wd4BGhjsYd4/WjWR5Am4nTI/AAAAAAAAo-k/TUlok6s-xpoeGTubIIKFky3AwBeJJSpfwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />It even had a nicely equipped coffee shop<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bWWEKNubrjg/WjWR5F_TLCI/AAAAAAAAo-k/-KfbMlYwXI00QCv_IRxp-aUNBte6sbivwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bWWEKNubrjg/WjWR5F_TLCI/AAAAAAAAo-k/-KfbMlYwXI00QCv_IRxp-aUNBte6sbivwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8111.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Post the schedule<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2QPxNG9adOE/WjWR5AdScAI/AAAAAAAAo-k/aSgrgmW7nwYDM6w4dltMAjiFfpAiTx_2wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2QPxNG9adOE/WjWR5AdScAI/AAAAAAAAo-k/aSgrgmW7nwYDM6w4dltMAjiFfpAiTx_2wCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8112.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />and hand the station off to the station master<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JUgAIxeS-zY/WjWR5CNYjjI/AAAAAAAAo-k/XJXLYSfPPOwba_QA5Z8vCzxxMupuFAPAQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JUgAIxeS-zY/WjWR5CNYjjI/AAAAAAAAo-k/XJXLYSfPPOwba_QA5Z8vCzxxMupuFAPAQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Next up, what is this??<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pF4vqBH8_Y0/WjWR5HdmKaI/AAAAAAAAo-k/tC8j9ty1LPENPJGsrR12jAHjHMzA3lRwQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pF4vqBH8_Y0/WjWR5HdmKaI/AAAAAAAAo-k/tC8j9ty1LPENPJGsrR12jAHjHMzA3lRwQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0eMoT_c22Z4/WjWR5F8wTBI/AAAAAAAAo-k/TMu9dhtkMac5g4ewfkTJKgiKQFB0qaRvwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0eMoT_c22Z4/WjWR5F8wTBI/AAAAAAAAo-k/TMu9dhtkMac5g4ewfkTJKgiKQFB0qaRvwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8119.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Careful with the tile work...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dLU51p1GAFM/WjWR5JWngRI/AAAAAAAAo-k/3Gnt8dcbkSwLfeRXiU1K3IvvfMQ1zkcVACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dLU51p1GAFM/WjWR5JWngRI/AAAAAAAAo-k/3Gnt8dcbkSwLfeRXiU1K3IvvfMQ1zkcVACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8120.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />and the masonry.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XH0XCiMB9X4/WjWR5Lz4x2I/AAAAAAAAo-k/4hXcNZxLNJQo6ODthKiNoGA-MF27R2pTACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XH0XCiMB9X4/WjWR5Lz4x2I/AAAAAAAAo-k/4hXcNZxLNJQo6ODthKiNoGA-MF27R2pTACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Up go the walls<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2mXiIGwO-Ug/WjWR5Lw2tOI/AAAAAAAAo-k/H9bzfBdfBPUYOr938HOPphO5-p-624kSACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2mXiIGwO-Ug/WjWR5Lw2tOI/AAAAAAAAo-k/H9bzfBdfBPUYOr938HOPphO5-p-624kSACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8124.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />and the door<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tpzrN0pak7A/WjWR5FYNo4I/AAAAAAAAo-k/l8SDKMkXYz0XcskCjDc0c-g0qyt5O6wQQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tpzrN0pak7A/WjWR5FYNo4I/AAAAAAAAo-k/l8SDKMkXYz0XcskCjDc0c-g0qyt5O6wQQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8127.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Meanwhile, the crew got going on another building<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-LM5XOqOyg/WjWR5Bu98VI/AAAAAAAAo-k/r7g18O3t54IunBbz1mk63M-EpocGRnd2wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-LM5XOqOyg/WjWR5Bu98VI/AAAAAAAAo-k/r7g18O3t54IunBbz1mk63M-EpocGRnd2wCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ml8lv4Uz81k/WjWR5JVSbtI/AAAAAAAAo-k/jnjnSWx7vCYc0YpoDvn9lCWMdtgRellHACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ml8lv4Uz81k/WjWR5JVSbtI/AAAAAAAAo-k/jnjnSWx7vCYc0YpoDvn9lCWMdtgRellHACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8183.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />but the bakery was done first<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-borBubD8p1s/WjWR5GAyFXI/AAAAAAAAo-k/2jJ6JrRd8L879JyoKrepIW1HTIL-XFtAQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-borBubD8p1s/WjWR5GAyFXI/AAAAAAAAo-k/2jJ6JrRd8L879JyoKrepIW1HTIL-XFtAQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8185.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Then the carousel went in<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D14NDoAtZSQ/WjWR5CPgjeI/AAAAAAAAo-k/UcA6Arp5dj81Tbn_fkHfPsmAEHIWXXb9ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D14NDoAtZSQ/WjWR5CPgjeI/AAAAAAAAo-k/UcA6Arp5dj81Tbn_fkHfPsmAEHIWXXb9ACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8271.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />What is this but a whole trainload of more pieces!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EQB1Wb1dTEg/WjWR5NWT-FI/AAAAAAAAo-k/1Fx29GVy_7wS37lEUxSVvdorDC68Q0ATACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EQB1Wb1dTEg/WjWR5NWT-FI/AAAAAAAAo-k/1Fx29GVy_7wS37lEUxSVvdorDC68Q0ATACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8275.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Check out all those tiles!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HssU1SkE3wE/WjWR5OUBaoI/AAAAAAAAo-k/8I7RTr5ZDi8W7MSQ5m7xCNgZRy16RSO6QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HssU1SkE3wE/WjWR5OUBaoI/AAAAAAAAo-k/8I7RTr5ZDi8W7MSQ5m7xCNgZRy16RSO6QCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8276.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The village really started to take shape!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWDT3gDOti4/WjWR5PaIWxI/AAAAAAAAo-k/0cDNKgz40ow1cK-q152dldroMC6y6vAHwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWDT3gDOti4/WjWR5PaIWxI/AAAAAAAAo-k/0cDNKgz40ow1cK-q152dldroMC6y6vAHwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Bakery is ready for business!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hm8RXzCQzpM/WjWR5FXlnlI/AAAAAAAAo-k/A6FK-V9ELjYJWk-cxUYrY0nu58VoB447wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hm8RXzCQzpM/WjWR5FXlnlI/AAAAAAAAo-k/A6FK-V9ELjYJWk-cxUYrY0nu58VoB447wCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8280.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />As is the Post Office (complete with its official Canada Post sign)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vUnSSu4AXZg/WjWR5P-MJXI/AAAAAAAAo-k/TIAEeli64qo_draTAUKkXDlt7mTD_CsfgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vUnSSu4AXZg/WjWR5P-MJXI/AAAAAAAAo-k/TIAEeli64qo_draTAUKkXDlt7mTD_CsfgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8282.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />the Toy Shop is go to go as well!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UCAMOkC_6FI/WjWR5GSaMXI/AAAAAAAAo-k/Ary7lT8HXEQMQfEU3lgBLzW8nyL1sR6jQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UCAMOkC_6FI/WjWR5GSaMXI/AAAAAAAAo-k/Ary7lT8HXEQMQfEU3lgBLzW8nyL1sR6jQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8283.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />An aerial shot with most of the major work done<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l5cRMGeGOG0/WjWR5PWT0tI/AAAAAAAAo-k/ONVgpD6iwe4Znear4rQ0GYnSuiKNq4GWwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l5cRMGeGOG0/WjWR5PWT0tI/AAAAAAAAo-k/ONVgpD6iwe4Znear4rQ0GYnSuiKNq4GWwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8277.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ORz4b6mWyFo/WjWR5MhCGnI/AAAAAAAAo-k/C3PLpRWa71scinKS9my_Cv8S2vPFKPHkACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_3227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ORz4b6mWyFo/WjWR5MhCGnI/AAAAAAAAo-k/C3PLpRWa71scinKS9my_Cv8S2vPFKPHkACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_3227.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Of course the big guy needed his place<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hSgLCljupic/WjWR5FA1QbI/AAAAAAAAo-k/iOD5FNbUJWgCKuQYHKzEqlS539t1yikMwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hSgLCljupic/WjWR5FA1QbI/AAAAAAAAo-k/iOD5FNbUJWgCKuQYHKzEqlS539t1yikMwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8304.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />but if you are on his naughty list, look out because he has a bin of coal!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4yKQrttucms/WjWR5AhZFyI/AAAAAAAAo-k/fURQYF6Dv3M49fdEI7WJHGEbiqbr5uj-QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4yKQrttucms/WjWR5AhZFyI/AAAAAAAAo-k/fURQYF6Dv3M49fdEI7WJHGEbiqbr5uj-QCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8305.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Of course there are cats ready to pounce<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxNKIe1wo4Q/WjWR5I_uNXI/AAAAAAAAo-k/LhQnN9vUd2MFbpa2-R7KThIx2pGP0D74ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxNKIe1wo4Q/WjWR5I_uNXI/AAAAAAAAo-k/LhQnN9vUd2MFbpa2-R7KThIx2pGP0D74ACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8306.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />and other critters for your viewing delight.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w-rBsvv48DI/WjWR5JeETVI/AAAAAAAAo-k/KMvWTjxukuI-9FFOM2OloBSEyEYnXu3xQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w-rBsvv48DI/WjWR5JeETVI/AAAAAAAAo-k/KMvWTjxukuI-9FFOM2OloBSEyEYnXu3xQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8308.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Be sure to grab some hot coco<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l75S4pAS91g/WjWR5PmDXEI/AAAAAAAAo-k/fqf_j_x2L-8bRbwmj_kzvKNH6mvvDnPdQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l75S4pAS91g/WjWR5PmDXEI/AAAAAAAAo-k/fqf_j_x2L-8bRbwmj_kzvKNH6mvvDnPdQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8309.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />and check the presents under the tree<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Wb2-5B_ATQ/WjWR5L1F26I/AAAAAAAAo-k/ZWCs9NN0Rh4cVFWMLy62mYOPS_GV_o_SACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Wb2-5B_ATQ/WjWR5L1F26I/AAAAAAAAo-k/ZWCs9NN0Rh4cVFWMLy62mYOPS_GV_o_SACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8315.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Marshmallows over the fire<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGpbqEzEhmw/WjWR5E1dcBI/AAAAAAAAo-k/Vtv4ufNvEx0wtKaY6gjvrrB-o-8sJylsACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGpbqEzEhmw/WjWR5E1dcBI/AAAAAAAAo-k/Vtv4ufNvEx0wtKaY6gjvrrB-o-8sJylsACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8316.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />and a train load of toys!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NdZI6QsErTw/WjWR5ATZgLI/AAAAAAAAo-k/qHVQmFTle3oxIKaQyi4F9WjmEO-9QqhNwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NdZI6QsErTw/WjWR5ATZgLI/AAAAAAAAo-k/qHVQmFTle3oxIKaQyi4F9WjmEO-9QqhNwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8317.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The highlight of the village though is Santa's workshop on top of the mountain!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_vkyFDkCZPU/WjWR5OIJ6DI/AAAAAAAAo-k/ttdPmt6aE4o95ZNssZIyHm6ZZRgLFQf3QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_vkyFDkCZPU/WjWR5OIJ6DI/AAAAAAAAo-k/ttdPmt6aE4o95ZNssZIyHm6ZZRgLFQf3QCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8402.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />Climb the stairs if you dare...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJNVwvWudi0/WjWR5OkpBFI/AAAAAAAAo-k/Kqb4k2mDHKo_sqK7FFoIowMcrHzORX0YQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJNVwvWudi0/WjWR5OkpBFI/AAAAAAAAo-k/Kqb4k2mDHKo_sqK7FFoIowMcrHzORX0YQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8403.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />but watch for what lurks below...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WJtvs77yUKY/WjWR5G_SOjI/AAAAAAAAo-k/-8eRxspgX_Apka-aWecKcHL5t6KI5PNYwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WJtvs77yUKY/WjWR5G_SOjI/AAAAAAAAo-k/-8eRxspgX_Apka-aWecKcHL5t6KI5PNYwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />If you're adventurous there is a more challenging route<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n9SR68ZzNHM/WjWR5LxAfqI/AAAAAAAAo-k/K3ad-eI8Gh0W0XG5jav68__hbE5afJz1wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n9SR68ZzNHM/WjWR5LxAfqI/AAAAAAAAo-k/K3ad-eI8Gh0W0XG5jav68__hbE5afJz1wCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8407.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />of course you could also throw snowballs at your sister...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WxG2m9i5I6E/WjWR5McpD8I/AAAAAAAAo-k/Q-c280uIf0QaXJ_SyEFhiqXcQ9IutHdKACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WxG2m9i5I6E/WjWR5McpD8I/AAAAAAAAo-k/Q-c280uIf0QaXJ_SyEFhiqXcQ9IutHdKACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8408.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />The back of the train station needed a little work on the back.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jz5IKJG5Mpk/WjWR5KBZ5fI/AAAAAAAAo-k/y8vOv0jlA5cmdR6sBZfzJMAGwOFIdNoPACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jz5IKJG5Mpk/WjWR5KBZ5fI/AAAAAAAAo-k/y8vOv0jlA5cmdR6sBZfzJMAGwOFIdNoPACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8411.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The wide shot of the finished village<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5XDkzYiR8lc/WjWR5MljsyI/AAAAAAAAo-k/bIKYYdYeTdEND_u4vnAGqvfyuSbBjPwmgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5XDkzYiR8lc/WjWR5MljsyI/AAAAAAAAo-k/bIKYYdYeTdEND_u4vnAGqvfyuSbBjPwmgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8410.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Santa's workshop!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RG1Oix0H-1E/WjWR5DXasmI/AAAAAAAAo-k/a13pviuMQ14gP7jRWwXQL8JmEdiAM6R2ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RG1Oix0H-1E/WjWR5DXasmI/AAAAAAAAo-k/a13pviuMQ14gP7jRWwXQL8JmEdiAM6R2ACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8413.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-11_IJB4dLC0/WjWR5P8jhjI/AAAAAAAAo-k/NhODHkPozFE7fy-XtIfvK1WZbGFZlJzUQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-11_IJB4dLC0/WjWR5P8jhjI/AAAAAAAAo-k/NhODHkPozFE7fy-XtIfvK1WZbGFZlJzUQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8414.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fP5OQbwyRXA/WjWR5KV0aqI/AAAAAAAAo-k/pwG1Lwk4Rn84az4ogTmHTrI1y-7sI0Z9gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fP5OQbwyRXA/WjWR5KV0aqI/AAAAAAAAo-k/pwG1Lwk4Rn84az4ogTmHTrI1y-7sI0Z9gCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8415.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dRBBhK3nq-w/WjWR5PdicRI/AAAAAAAAo-k/pOK2kEnLiq0BGqN8lCgaqT4krzutflUjACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8418.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dRBBhK3nq-w/WjWR5PdicRI/AAAAAAAAo-k/pOK2kEnLiq0BGqN8lCgaqT4krzutflUjACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8418.MOV" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-atx6SDTHFb0/WjWR5CsynUI/AAAAAAAAo-k/BsaKDnk4EUUGdT2Pj274tsvQVDjE-5c3gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-atx6SDTHFb0/WjWR5CsynUI/AAAAAAAAo-k/BsaKDnk4EUUGdT2Pj274tsvQVDjE-5c3gCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Santa has caught the eye of the officer with the radar gun!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-na7J4sjQZlY/WjWR5GSyKiI/AAAAAAAAo-k/92mfHlX_NfIeXSJWk8zCmkSkVM-7lZlsQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-na7J4sjQZlY/WjWR5GSyKiI/AAAAAAAAo-k/92mfHlX_NfIeXSJWk8zCmkSkVM-7lZlsQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8422.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lsA8p67p0Uo/WjWR5KPMWcI/AAAAAAAAo-k/Jz-r_bdQfZYbUCosM94kzjzkXPqrSTJYgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lsA8p67p0Uo/WjWR5KPMWcI/AAAAAAAAo-k/Jz-r_bdQfZYbUCosM94kzjzkXPqrSTJYgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8423.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Not sure this is where our little adventurer meant to end up<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uKpgDNMjfTs/WjWR5LGmibI/AAAAAAAAo-k/C3K0f7LTKokDFsP0rr5eamhfXLlTeXuJwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uKpgDNMjfTs/WjWR5LGmibI/AAAAAAAAo-k/C3K0f7LTKokDFsP0rr5eamhfXLlTeXuJwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8424.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CMN46lUWzOM/WjWR5DmO7EI/AAAAAAAAo-k/YZeZoDYfkV0sk19ROlkfsl3b9goZAdNRgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CMN46lUWzOM/WjWR5DmO7EI/AAAAAAAAo-k/YZeZoDYfkV0sk19ROlkfsl3b9goZAdNRgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8431.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dneH_AC_VaU/WjWR5dSNBpI/AAAAAAAAo-k/2FE69WYICiMf3zfYwtQsQbKMqVJs9zXJACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dneH_AC_VaU/WjWR5dSNBpI/AAAAAAAAo-k/2FE69WYICiMf3zfYwtQsQbKMqVJs9zXJACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8430.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Fresh pies from the bakery!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hhCWpbGN9s/WjWR5arvDnI/AAAAAAAAo-k/hsIR3rHkIQQjFoRGyn96QWMFo-faccMFACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hhCWpbGN9s/WjWR5arvDnI/AAAAAAAAo-k/hsIR3rHkIQQjFoRGyn96QWMFo-faccMFACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8428.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />A new danger lurks below the mountain.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K0I8C4e0foU/WjWR5RMLLgI/AAAAAAAAo-k/67G7ANrEynovBejUBTUf_YgjW9ZmVKk-wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K0I8C4e0foU/WjWR5RMLLgI/AAAAAAAAo-k/67G7ANrEynovBejUBTUf_YgjW9ZmVKk-wCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Our local hunters....<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6_nQGNb3PMc/WjWR5TgIH2I/AAAAAAAAo-k/OkKc38tcz1wowCDSzdmWnfjtwgkqID8EwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6_nQGNb3PMc/WjWR5TgIH2I/AAAAAAAAo-k/OkKc38tcz1wowCDSzdmWnfjtwgkqID8EwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8446.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />Finally, the tree is getting pretty crowed with all those presents!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQDsfWc9tyU/WjWR5fSnWrI/AAAAAAAAo-k/qG1Q8EJXxRkSehQ6uadJhKzMAndd6Ki0wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQDsfWc9tyU/WjWR5fSnWrI/AAAAAAAAo-k/qG1Q8EJXxRkSehQ6uadJhKzMAndd6Ki0wCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_8429.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-62816402574303055052017-10-27T13:48:00.002-07:002017-10-27T13:48:16.333-07:00Review: The Whole Bible Story Illustrated Edition<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One must always be careful when using words like "Whole" and "Everything" when titling or describing any kind of guidebook, especially when it covers something as deep and immense as the Bible. That said, Dr. Marty does a wonderful job at walking us through the whole story of the Bible in this book. I really did enjoy reading through this book to see how he hits on the highlights of the Bible and gives explanation to what's going on throughout the Bible.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the things that can be hard to wrap our minds around when reading through the Bible is that things aren't quite in chronological order. The key thing Dr. Marty accomplishes in this book is laying out the story of scripture in a linear fashion. As his main concern is moving through the whole story he does, as noted in the introduction, skip over most of the non-narrative sections of the Bible. This includes much of the wisdom literature and prophets of the Old Testament and the Epistles of the New Testament. Some may think this goes against the assertion that he is telling the whole story of the Bible but it really does fit with how he is trying to give us a big picture&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a newly released illustrated edition, and though I believe the text of this book certainly&nbsp;stands on its own, the charts, pictures and maps included with the text give great visuals that add to the text. Each chapter also includes a list of main characters and settings which help one to know the who and the where. Finally each chapter ends with a summery.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, I think this is a great book to help one get an idea of the big picture. I think the best way I can describe it is as a narrator to the story of the Bible being told in a linear fashion. It would make a great text for an overview of the Bible class or for personal study. As mentioned already, this book does pass over most of the non-narrative material so it would not be appropriate as a Biblical survey text. If you are wanting to know how the events of the Bible unfolded in order, along with what the historical context of the events, this is certainly the book to read.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did receive a copy of this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review.</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801098645&amp;linkId=b4ae5e8bde9ff9ff4dc5ae08a44ab36e" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-87613800787555014322017-10-10T12:57:00.000-07:002017-10-10T12:57:28.347-07:00Review: Immeasurable by Skye Jethani<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I have thoroughly&nbsp;enjoyed Skye Jethani's contributions and thoughts on the Phil Vischer Podcast over the last number of years, and due to that have found his writings thoughtful and challenging. When given the opportunity to get my hands on a copy of his latest book "Immeasurable" for the launch week, I jumped at it. Skye has been asking many of the questions many of us who have been deeply involved in the church for a long time are asking. Questions&nbsp;about how the church is run, how much its reflecting the world around us when it should be the other way around. Questions about the way we hold up the pastor who leads thousands when there are thousands of us leading dozens.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">In this collection of 24 essays, each addressing one dimension of the church today in North America, Jethani continues to strike a cord. Hitting on topics such as the dangers of ambition, the idol of effectiveness and ever present <i>Evangelical Industrial Complex</i>. With thoughtfulness&nbsp;and wisdom, each chapter will having you nodding in agreement with things you've felt but not been able to express or having to pause and reflect on your own motives and methods. I found that though this is a relatively short book, just over 200 pages, it packs a real punch and cannot be breezed through quickly.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is in ministry and needs a refresh and refocus. If you're one a board, read this and consider how you measure your pastor and church's performance. If your a church member, read this and consider the influence the consumer age we live in had shaped your view of ministry and how you view the church and its leadership.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I have to thank Moody Publishing for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review. I must also thank Moody for publishing such a high quality book that will bring much value to the broader church.</span>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-10586486392429694272017-08-24T20:47:00.000-07:002017-08-29T08:30:52.659-07:00Review: The Big Pig Stampede<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">One of my favorite places is the bargain&nbsp;book table. I love going through the stacks of books that seem to just not be popular enough, or perhaps too popular at some point, and just need to clear the shelf space they are taking up. I've found some real gems at deep discounts. One of my most recent finds was "The Big Pig Stampede" by Bob Hartman.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">This book follows the misadventures of 'Goat Boy' the son of a travelling merchant in Judea. Goat Boy, along with Bug and Bug's cousin Lump, travel with their fathers setting up shop to sell their various wares from village to village. Life is pretty routine for them until one day a friend of Bug's who is serving at a big wedding tells them the party has run out of wine. The boys gather up all the wine their father's have to sell and run off to the banquet. Once they get there however, they are told there is plenty of wine because a rabbi named Jesus turned a whole bunch of water into the best wine anyone had ever had.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">This is but one adventure their little group has as their fathers decide to follow Jesus where ever he goes because where Jesus go, the crowds go and crowds mean customers.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">The book is entertaining to say the least but also gives a very interesting perspective on the ministry of Jesus through the eyes of a young boy who is just going about life. In my opinion, Hartman has done a very good job at weaving a story kids can relate to with the events found in the Gospel clearly seen in the background. One could easily launch from each chapter of this book into the appropriate Gospel account. The book is also easy to read and would be accessible to any child starting to read basic chapter books.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">All that to say, this is a book that certainly&nbsp;rises above the bargain table.</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=1496408659&amp;linkId=248019103584b4f665c674a4d67da93e" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-45429953458477865472017-08-22T21:23:00.000-07:002017-08-23T09:28:56.433-07:00Review: Tech-wise Family<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">As a parent, I'm concerned about what my kids are exposed to and how they learn to interact with the world around them. As someone who is quite tech-savvy and worked in the tech sector, I am also very familiar with what is out there and what my kids could get into. How technology is shaping our culture needs to shape our parenting.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">This book is very easy to read and filled with wonderful wisdom. Crouch does a good job at laying out the issues technology creates in our lives and provides easy to remember (though at times hard to implement) guidelines for keeping technology in its place. I very much appreciated the intro and way Crouch differentiates between tools and technology. He also makes a great distinction between leisure and rest. I think the book is worth reading, just for understanding those distinctions.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">After the introduction, the book is broken up into short chapters, each unpacking one of their family's tech-wise commitments. Now each family will be different and some of these will be harder than others. What I really appreciated about these was the reality check at the end of each chapter where Crouch admits where their family falls short of this. This admission of not quite being there but wanting to be, adds a dimension of genuineness&nbsp;and encouragement.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">This is a book that I will most definately be recommending widely and will be a part of our family's toolkit as we walk through life.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">(I received&nbsp;a copy of this book from Baker Publishing for review purposes)</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801018668&amp;linkId=15614d888e2f88e49efa54251d8b8d48" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-72179768234309897482017-07-19T11:51:00.002-07:002017-07-28T14:41:53.433-07:00Leadership and Success according to Lightning McQueenWe recently took our kids to see the latest installment of Disney/Pixar's Cars franchise, Cars 3. We don't usually splurge on a new release at the theater but if you know our little guy, you'd understand why we made an exception for this one. Overall I have to say this was a great movie and hats off to Disney/Pixar for telling a great story. This is one that we'll pick up for our family when its available, and I'm sure it will be played many times.<br />As we walked away from the theater I was really struck by how much one can learn about leadership and true success from this kids movie. Now if you haven't seen Cars 3 yet, I'd encourage you stop right here, go see it, and come back because I'm going to roll out some major spoilers here. If you've seen it, or you're OK with knowing the plot line of a kids movie read on.<br /><h2>If you don't change, you have a shelf life</h2>The movie begins with montage of Lightning McQueen still dominating the Piston Cup circuit. He's at the top of his game, everyone is cheering him on, everyone wants to be with him. He's made it to the top and he's going to stay there. That is until one day, a new racer suddenly comes flying up from behind and wins the race. Lighting can't believe it but he keeps racing. It turns out their is a new batch of rookies coming up who are younger, stronger and... cooler. The fans begin to switch allegiance to these cool young winners and one by one Lightning's peers are pushed into retirement, with Lightening sure to follow. Lightning had just kept doing what he had always done and as long as it was working he didn't need to evaluate or improve himself.<br /><h2>Don't let the past keep you from adapting to present realities</h2>The trouble was he kept doing things the way he had always done them. Then one day, the unthinkable happens, a rookies beats him. It is but the first of a string of losses to the newer, younger cars. Lightning keeps pushing himself, insistent that he'll get back on top. He won't change his ways, even as his peers are retired one by one. It isn't until he crashes and burns does he even inquire as to what's new. The young racers it turns out, train hard and make use of the latest technology and methods. These new racers are such a disruption to the status quo that no matter how skilled or experienced the older racers are they just can't keep up.<br /><br />Even when he is given the chance to train like the young racers he messes up. He lacks the discipline and humility to try things a new way. He refuses to put in the work and to adapt, he continues to live off of his past successes. Out of frustration he tries to keep doing things his own way, ignoring the advice of those trying to help him and he ends up in a pretty mucky mess.<br /><h2><br />Don't chase after the new and forgo the wisdom of the past</h2>Finally, Lightning comes to his senses after a very eventful race, and realizes that the only way he made it as a race was learning from his old and wise mentor, Doc. With Doc no longer around, Lightning sets off to find Doc's old mentor, Smokey. He figures that if he learned as much as he did from Doc, he should seek out the wisdom of the one Doc learned from.<br /><br />Sure enough, in a backwoods town he finds Doc's old pit chief, Smokey, and the old racers that Doc ran with. Smokey tells Lightning, he will never be faster, but he can be smarter. It takes hard work and discipline and some techniques that both Lightning and his new trainer question, but he sticks with it. He trains hard and gets to his last race and in an interesting twist its one of the moves learned from these old guys that wins the day.<br /><h2>Your greatest moments aren't when you're winning but when you're helping others win</h2><div dir="ltr">I believe one of the greatest parts of this movie is when Smokey is telling Lightning about the letters Doc used to write him. Smokey tells Lightning that in spite of all of the success Doc had in his own career, his best days were the ones when Lightning was winning. He had come to understand that his greatest joy was not in his own success but in helping someone else be their best. Lightning comes to realize this himself when he puts Cruz into the race with the line "It's my last chance to give you your first chance!" Lightning sets aside his own chance at victory and glory to watch someone else, who he saw the potential in, step up and show what they could do. <br />There is a great lesson to be had here, one of humility and recognizing that the time comes when we have to step aside. The choice to use one's "last chance to give you a first chance" is hard to make. The choice to step out of the spotlight so someone else can step in is risky. They might make a mistake, they might fail but most of all, you have to give up control. An amazing thing happens in the movie, that often happens in life, when one stops being the star and starts becoming the coach and cheerleader, when the mission and the team comes before personal glory, both win.<br /><br />So look around you and see who you can give a chance, who you can cheer on and don't forget to be adapting in light of both nee development and past wisdom.</div>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-36184126687648590242017-07-14T07:59:00.002-07:002017-07-14T14:05:18.850-07:00Review: The 25 Biblical Laws of Success<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I have to admit I'm inherently suspicious of any think that claims to show how the Bible can bring about success in your career and business. I feel there are far too many books with such titles that attempt to lay down a set of steps to an end that simply attach proof texts to each step to be biblical. I do not feel this book falls into this category and in particular, appreciated the author's introduction and conclusion where they clearly point to Christ and reinforce that being successful in business is only temporary.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">The 25 Laws are broken up into 5 parts; Wisdom, Work, Values, Relationships and Personal Growth. Each part contains 5 short chapters covering one of the laws. Each chapter contains both a scriptural backing as well as examples from the world around the authors. There is then a final section containing 7 sins against success which outline things that can derail one's success. Each chapter is short and easy to read with most chapters being about 5 pages. This makes it a book that is easily digested in small bites, which I would actually recommend. As each chapter addresses&nbsp;a single issue, most are worth a time of reflection, depending on where the reader is at in their own lives. The drawback to these short chapters is that they can at times, feel pithy and simply a collection of sayings and Bible verses, but it does make for an easier read.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">If you have read a range of leadership books, particularly of "laws" of leadership books, much of this may sound familiar. If that is the case, one thing I did appreciate about this book is that the authors are not American and thus do approach the topics from a different perspective, which is often refreshing. If you haven't read much in the way of Christian leadership books, this could be a great place to start. This book could also be a good one to work through with a small group of people seeking live their lives in a more biblical manner and to build up their character. Overall, I'd say this is a good book in that it is clear and concise but at the same time is another take on good principles that have been covered by many others.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.</span>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-49287247633417370632017-06-17T11:17:00.000-07:002017-07-28T12:56:35.817-07:00Riding the rails<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Have you ever had something you've wanted to do for a long time but never had the time, or the money. Something that really could only been seen as an indulgence. Well for me, one of those things has been a train trip through the Rockies. We've all seen the ads for these trips but they are freaking expensive! Beyond the cost, its not a quick trip and with a family the costs can add up pretty quick.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Well, as I was looking over my travel schedule for this past spring, it included a trip to Edmonton and so on a whim I checked the Via Rail schedule and costs. Turned out an economy ticket was actually $20 less than flying home at the end of my business trip and I only had to stay in town one extra day. So I cashed in some points for the extra hotel stay and booked a train ticket instead of a plane ticket. Once I had my plans in place I let my sister know as I had promised my nephew I would take him a road trip one day if the timing was right and his parents were cool with it. They gave him the green light, I found a screaming deal on a flight and got it all booked.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Our adventure began on Friday night, after my conference was done, I grabbed a cab to the airport, picked up a rental car and found my nephew at baggage claim and headed to our hotel. Saturday was a day on the town and he &amp; I covered a lot of ground. We started with breakfast at the <a href="http://www.highleveldiner.com/" target="_blank">Highlevel Diner</a>&nbsp;where we each downed a massive Cinnamon&nbsp;bun. Then it was on to the Strathcona Farmers market and then the Conservatory to see what was left of the giant corpse flower. We then scoped out our route to the train station and grabbed lunch at the Burger's Priest. A stop at the Lego Store, MEC and finally the Bulk Barn for snacks for the train ride and we headed back to the hotel.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Sunday Morning we were up early, early, to get a cab to the train station for 6am. Of course we got there only to find the train was actually nearly 4 hours late. It was all good though, we waited an chatted and snacked. When the train rolled in we were ready to go!</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">We got on board, found some seats and headed to the dome car pretty much right away. The journey out of Edmonton and toward the foothills was wonderful. One of the things I like about rail travel is that you go through different parts of town, usually the older and more industrial parts. The tracks also don't usually follow the highway so you see a different view than you would from the car.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">The journey up to and through the foothills was a nice easy ride through fields, past lakes and over rivers. Soon enough, the mountains came into view, and we were wowed until dark. We were so blessed to have a perfectly clear day for this trip and the delay in departure actually worked out well. We were scheduled to have a longer stop in Jasper around lunch time but with the delay we ended up just having a short station stop with enough time to hit tourist shop row and grab a snack. We ended up getting something dinner-ish from the snack bar when we got going again and just enjoyed the views. We stayed up in the dome car until dark which was somewhere before Blue River which meant we went through the entire Rockies portion of trip in daylight.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Sleep was a little difficult but better than an airplane. As we had economy tickets we just had reclining seats but the train wasn't full so we were able to each take two and spread out. My nephew is small enough he could curl up on two seat, I awkwardly shifted around through the night. At the first hints of daylight I was ready to get up and out of that seat. Here the delay worked in our favour because we hit daylight around Spence's Bridge, which meant we saw much of the lower Thompson and the Fraser Canyon, which we would have missed had we been on time.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Now the one thing about being an economy ticket holder, is that you are confined to the economy cars and you are only able to go to the dining car if there are any reservations left after the non-economy passengers have had their pick. When the breakfast call came however, there was room in the first time slot so I roused the boy from his slumber and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast watching the world go by.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">The final hours, brought us closer and closer to home and more familiar sites. It was interesting however to wind through the Fraser Valley and into Vancouver on the train, again seeing things from an angle not seen from a car. We finally pulled into Pacific Central Station just after noon. A quick bite to eat while waiting for the bags to be unloaded and we hopped on the SkyTrain and then the bus to make our way home.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">It was a wonderful trip, that I highly recommend doing at least once. The economy fare is pretty reasonable, though it comes at the cost of a good night's sleep. It is also important to make sure you pack snacks so you aren't completely dependent on the snack bar. It is also key to be flexible as schedules are more of a suggestion due to the priority of freight&nbsp;trains. This is certainly a trip I will be doing again given the chance.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Here are are a few pictures for your enjoyment!</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UOE8K63i4ng/WU1tX7yWmPI/AAAAAAAAjWw/nDRV4O6IP7EQhSKqetKCgOc3X_Wn1k7fQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UOE8K63i4ng/WU1tX7yWmPI/AAAAAAAAjWw/nDRV4O6IP7EQhSKqetKCgOc3X_Wn1k7fQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6403.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">This was our view for most of the trip as we spent the majority of our time in the dome car.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ytV81U0bBS8/WU1tXU_FLCI/AAAAAAAAjWo/AM-zjl-IP4Mrt5rMIEspRy1u9Mm9NmjXgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ytV81U0bBS8/WU1tXU_FLCI/AAAAAAAAjWo/AM-zjl-IP4Mrt5rMIEspRy1u9Mm9NmjXgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6408.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqSvEA8sBNs/WU1tX7QPotI/AAAAAAAAjWs/NLSETD5hZAoo8176y4h1q10GCzeK5ltzgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqSvEA8sBNs/WU1tX7QPotI/AAAAAAAAjWs/NLSETD5hZAoo8176y4h1q10GCzeK5ltzgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6476.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Lot's of wildlife, including at least 3 bears.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pT3nOrPCihM/WU1tYAjXZ7I/AAAAAAAAjW0/lztWDYKwpj4rfE2TmZaAW6WnrDpTccnjwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pT3nOrPCihM/WU1tYAjXZ7I/AAAAAAAAjW0/lztWDYKwpj4rfE2TmZaAW6WnrDpTccnjwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6477.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">This view....</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy-I9oRFzoc/WU1tZP-fL6I/AAAAAAAAjW8/UBydOhky7csuLd1-Wr4A2xan1oy70vywQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy-I9oRFzoc/WU1tZP-fL6I/AAAAAAAAjW8/UBydOhky7csuLd1-Wr4A2xan1oy70vywQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6478.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">and this view...</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qoEJ9ee7yXo/WU1tY1lCYsI/AAAAAAAAjW4/8aabtDd-BRgMu-6R8C4Hak7Lbayz8xDsgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qoEJ9ee7yXo/WU1tY1lCYsI/AAAAAAAAjW4/8aabtDd-BRgMu-6R8C4Hak7Lbayz8xDsgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6509.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">and this view...</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BGw6g2Fip1k/WU1tZMI79GI/AAAAAAAAjXA/Qei7M5cpN38MthFC6_0fdrFOcIeMHCcawCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BGw6g2Fip1k/WU1tZMI79GI/AAAAAAAAjXA/Qei7M5cpN38MthFC6_0fdrFOcIeMHCcawCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6559.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Mount Robson is a sight to behold. The railway runs higher up the side of the valley than the highway so you get a good view.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lz3zKuAjGPQ/WU1taLLajJI/AAAAAAAAjXE/RgwgNxMbmBUnasiCJ9t0tBZQgM2IPSe6wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lz3zKuAjGPQ/WU1taLLajJI/AAAAAAAAjXE/RgwgNxMbmBUnasiCJ9t0tBZQgM2IPSe6wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6581.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Many a waterfall along the tracks as well.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-87215497371560487812017-05-15T08:46:00.000-07:002017-06-01T15:00:54.827-07:00Review: Greek for Everyone<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Greek classes are not my best memories. In fact, next to Hebrew, they were the hardest classes I took in seminary. I can honestly say that the 6 semesters I spent learning Greek and Hebrew and the exegesis classes that followed were down right painful. Like many things that are hard and painful however, I became a much better person for them. I found a much deeper appreciation for the work of translators&nbsp;and I came to view scripture in new ways. As such, I am continually looking for good resources to help me engage in the original languages as best I can. "Greek for Everyone" was one of two greek books I got about the same time and I must say I found this one to be of great value.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">"Greek for Everyone" was not what I was expecting, as I was expecting something to help me brush up on my greek. I was expecting lots of exercises to help one memorize the various forms and key words but that's not what it was. Instead, I found it to be a great refresher of the key grammatical concepts and the language as a whole. Chapter 2 "The Big Picture of Language" is an excellent summary of how to approach language and difficulties in translating from one to another. The next several chapters deal with the various forms of nouns, verbs, cases, moods and other details of the Greek language. I'm not going to tell you these are easy concepts to wrap one's head around but Thornhill does a great job at presenting them succinctly&nbsp;and clearly.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">After dealing with the various elements of Greek Grammar, the book returns in Chapter 14 to the big picture of language and how the various pieces we've looked at over the preceding chapters fit together. The remaining chapters provide a good discussion on the various English translations, word studies and how to apply what you've learned here to on-going study and discussion.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">I think what is most important take away from this book is that you will not be able to pick up a Greek NT and read away after finishing this book, that is not its purpose. What you will walk away with is the ability to engage in a much deeper level of Bible study and be able to understand how to use the tools so widely available now. In an age where, particularly the electronic tools are so readily available, I believe it is so important to know what those tools are doing for you, this book will certainly give you those tools and with less blood, sweat and tears, than most seminary greek classes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">*I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review and was under no obligation to write a favorable review*</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801018919&amp;linkId=16f7719ab624a11bfee9613074afe2b7" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-39225548486405098292017-05-09T14:58:00.000-07:002017-06-01T15:00:12.266-07:00Sermon: Matthew's True Story - Family Redefined<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had the privilege&nbsp;of preaching at my home church the weekend of April 30/May 1. I was wrapping our spring series through part of Matthew. You can listen to it <a href="http://www.burnettfellowship.com/downloads/sb_burnettfellowshipv2/MattewsTrueStory-April30.mp3" target="_blank">here</a></span>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-16502504354719188922017-03-26T20:36:00.000-07:002017-03-27T08:37:25.517-07:00Well that went by fast...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow! Its April this weekend. January, February and March seemed kinda like a blur! The seasonal cold/flu moved through our family. There was a trip to visit the grandparents, a few work trips and of course SNOW!!!! More snow than we've had in a long time.</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you read my previous post on the book "Growing Young" I had the privilege&nbsp;of spending two evenings walking through it with a church staff. Great time of discussion and working through some, at times, tough questions.&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Anyway, I've got some quality airplane time coming up over the next little while and, even more exciting for me, I'm taking a train trip through the Rockies! Its something I've wanted to do for a long time and the train schedule and my work/travel schedule just happened to line up later this spring. As an added bonus, I'll be bringing my 13 year old nephew with me. We're going to have a good boys weekend riding the rails.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until then, I've got some books to get reviews up for including one on a great resource for learning/keeping up your Greek. Bottom line, Greek is hard (at least for me) but some simple tips can make it a little easier.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyways more to come!</span></div>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-26004828718974832412016-12-07T13:15:00.001-08:002017-06-01T15:02:36.905-07:00Review: Growing Young<span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">There are a lot of books out there that tell you how to do great ministry. Many come off as 4 simple steps or if you follow our method, buy our curriculum&nbsp;and make sure all your congregation buys our study guide, it will transform your church. This is not one of those books. This is a book that is backed by research into churches that are reaching youth and young adults in an effective and meaningful way. So much of what the authors found resonated with me and I found myself constantly underlining and marking up the margins.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">What gives this book great strength is that the authors have found common elements across the diverse range of churches they studied. What I found very helpful was that the authors early on address a number of common myths about churches that are succeeding in growing young including location, denomination, cool factor, facility, budget and church size. In their research the authors found churches all over the spectrum of all these various areas.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">The authors identify six trait of growing young churches which they lay out in what they call the "Growing Young Wheel" where these traits continually grow as you go around the circle. Each factor has chapter that works through it that includes real examples of it playing out in a church, and explanation&nbsp;of their findings and a list of ideas of how your church might be able to grow this quality.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">As this is a research based book that has just been released, the information is current and relevant. If you are in youth or young adult ministry, or simply someone who is a millennial, you will find much of this book resonates with how you and those you minister to are wired. What this book does well is help those older than millennials understand how ministry may need to be reshaped to reach the next generation, backing it up with solid research.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , sans-serif;">Bottom line, this book needs to be at the top of your reading list for the coming year.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">(I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own)</span><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801019257&amp;linkId=b108334a644ec6472cc5babfc162c9a5" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-77079848087087928172016-10-10T15:18:00.001-07:002017-06-01T15:01:10.421-07:00Review: 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Kids & Sex<span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">This is a book about one of those really uncomfortable topics of parenthood. Its the conversation I think every parent dreads to have with their children but it is one that is so vital to have. In "5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Kids &amp; Sex" Anne Marie Miller not only encourages us to have those conversations (its not a one time talk as she points out in the first chapter!) but arms us with information about the realities out there and the tools we need to work with.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">The first chapter, The Earlier the Better, encourages us to begin discussing the issues of sex early on at an age appropriate level. By addressing issue early, she tells us the later conversations become more natural and normalized. The second chapter, Your Child is Not the Exception, holds a message that I think every parent needs to hear. We all want to believe that our child will learn what's best, that they will be the one to steer clear of every pitfall. The realities however are that our kids are picking up messages from everywhere, as chapters 3 (on media) and 4 (on Google is the new Sex-ed) explore. One of the greatest ideas I picked up in her discussion is that we want our kids to be safe but really we need to teach them to be healthy. The truth is we can't keep them safe from every danger in the world but if we teach them to be healthy, they will learn to steer clear of the danger out there and recover when they need to. The final chapter, Sexually Abused Children Rarely Speak Up, it a tough one. It is something that deals with something no one should ever endure but the sad reality is many have been and continue to be abused.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">The content of this book is very helpful and is laid out in an easy to read and helpful format. Miller covers a lot of ground but then has "Bottom Line" sections where she summarizes and makes sure you've got the key information. There are also a number sections titled "Having the Conversation" that give you guidence in how to talk about the topic at hand with your kids. Finally, each chapter ends with a section titled "Experts want you to know" which includes information from a variety of experts backing up what she has discussed in that chapter.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Overall, this is a book that I feel will help parents be well equiped for journeying with their children through this topic. In an age where the world is so different from the one we grew up in, in terms of the impact of media and the internet, it is ever more vital we have the tools we need to navigate this with our kids.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">(I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own)</span><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=B01AO3OUR6&amp;linkId=842f9cc85d4cbc6708743697bf854f9f" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-68345836779809916242016-09-05T09:50:00.001-07:002017-06-01T15:02:13.512-07:00Review: Prostitutes and Polygamists: A Look at Love Old Testament Style<div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">I just finished reading "Prostitutes and Polygamists" by David Lamb. It is certainly a provocative title and perhaps not the book you want lying on your desk without&nbsp;explanation. Whether you keep it tucked away out of sight or not, it is most certainly worth reading. Though we often gloss over or sanitize some of the more difficult parts of the Old Testament, there are some tough things that it deals with. In this book Lamb addresses the difficult sexual issues we find in the Old Testament including prostitution, polygamy, incest, rape and homosexuality. Lamb addresses all of these issues with a balance of humour and sensitivity.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Lamb begins by acknowledging that we as humans behave badly (a play on words on the title of Lamb's previous book "God Behaving Badly") and that we see all kinds of bad behaviour in both the Bible and the world around us. He then has a chapter looking at God's ideal for sex within marriage, which is all too often as far as we go in the church. What Lamb does is acknowledge that many of us stray from God's ideal but that there is hope because the Bible is full of people that fell short and yet were used by God.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">The issues covered in the chapters that follow are difficult to work through but Lamb deals with them well. An important point that he draws out is that the Bible is highly concerned with the welfare of the marginalized. When we see God's concern for the marginalized and read the Bible in its ancient context we see how radical some of the laws that we find repulsive really were. For example, the Bible specifically prohibits the rape of prisoners of war, further if an Israelite did capture a&nbsp;foreign&nbsp;woman he had to give her time to mourn and if he tired of her, he couldn't sell her, she had to be set free. This was a far greater level of protection and concern than found in other culture at the time, and frankly in parts of our world today.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Another passage Lamb looks at that we struggle with is Deut 22:28-29 where if a man seizes a young woman in the country and "lays with her" he is to pay the bride price to her father and he can never divorce her. Requiring a woman to marry her rapist is an abhorrent&nbsp;thought to us today but when viewed in its ancient context this law is actually pretty radical. First, in this verse the testimony of the woman is taken without a witness, second her rapist is required to marry this now un-marriable woman and third, he can never divorce her giving her more security than other women. In a culture where women were viewed as property, could not provide testimony in court and had no security apart from a man, this is pretty radical.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Lamb observes that this and the other laws he looks at, actually provided women a greater level of protection than many find in our culture today. When we look at the trajectory scripture sets towards an ideal, we see that it moves us closer to the goal. (For more on this check out William Webb's "Slaves, Woman &amp; Homosexuals" from IVP)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">I think this is a book pastors should definately read. The reality it both the Bible and our culture have a lot to say about sex, though what they have to say is awfully different. God knew we'd fall short of His ideal and He gave us a whole Bible full of examples of others who fell short in all sorts of ways. &nbsp;W</span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">e encounter these people every day who have fallen short of God's ideal for sex, either by their own actions or by the violation of others. The Bible shows us that God cares for all people, regardless of how we've fallen, and He can and will redeem us.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">I don't think I'd every preach a sermon series on this book but I believe it can inform the direction we take with some of these more difficult topics as we preach through the Bible. That said, our church once did an exercise where everyone filled out a card with the one issue they wish God could deal with in their lives. As the cards were sorted over half of them were relationship issues. Also the stats are clear, there are people in the pew every week who struggle with what they have done or has been done to them and need to hear what the Bible has to say. I believe that showing people these kinds of issues aren't new and many are addressed in the Bible can provide both hope and a deeper appreciation for scripture.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">I think this book can provide a good bridge between the Biblical Theology and Practical Theology sides of pastoral ministry, in the area of relationships, especially broken ones. Another book worth reading in a similar vein is "Flawed Families of the Bible" by Garland &amp; Garland. This is another hidden gem of a book (that I found in a clearance bin of all places) that can help one touch on these very difficult, yet&nbsp;prevalent&nbsp;issues.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">(I was not provided this book by the publisher, I bought it with my own money and thus was free say whatever I wished about it. If anyone from Zondervan is reading this feel free to send me review copies at any time)</span><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0310518474&amp;linkId=260defcaccfa124622bd812e95d3be22" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=1587431556&amp;linkId=954265945a1f1d1eacde42cab9f281ad" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-2694099406964507192016-08-21T16:47:00.000-07:002017-06-01T15:02:02.237-07:00Review: The Temple and the Tabernacle<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">I just finished reading "The Temple and the Tabernacle" by J. Daniel Hays and must say this was a excellent read. One might at first glance think a book by such a title deals only with issues of the Old Testament and belongs buried in the stacks of Old Testament Studies but this is not the case with this book. The very first thing that struck me when I opened this book was the colour. The book has many full colour illustrations throughout featuring artist renderings,&nbsp;archaeological&nbsp;finds and photos of scale models. The images are high quality and wonderfully compliment the text.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">As for the text itself, the eight chapters are written in very accessible language keeping this book very readable. Though easy to read, it is full of excellent material and thoughtful insights. One thing that Hays does well in this book is begin with a&nbsp;succinct&nbsp;summary and finish with a conclusion that offers how this topic relates to the church today. This "so what" conclusion really helps one reflect on the content of the book and how to read the Old Testament in light of it. I think one of the most important points Hays makes here is showing how through the tabernacle and the iterations of the temple God was seeking to dwell with us but His holiness and our sinfulness required levels of&nbsp;separation. When one looks back on levels of separation that were required between us and the most holy place, it helps us see the incredible gift we have that the Holy Spirit now dwells within us.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">One section that found&nbsp;particularly&nbsp;interesting was the chapter on Solomon's temple and the&nbsp;comparison&nbsp;between the construction account in 1 Kings and the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus. His comparison of the two accounts helps show the trajectory the nation of Israel is on through the remainder of the book of Kings and provides a useful background to the events recorded in the remainder of 1&amp;2 Kings.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">The chapter dealing with the temple in the New Testament is also quite helpful. Apart from addressing the theological issues around the Temple in light of the reality of Christ, Hays does a great job at providing the background to the New Testament events that occur in and around the temple. His treatment of this background helps bring the events of the Gospels and Acts alive and give the reader a deeper&nbsp;appreciation&nbsp;of those events.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Overall I think this is a wonderful book that will enrich one's understanding of one of the most important structures and&nbsp;institutions&nbsp;found in scripture and give one a deeper appreciation of the God who seeks to dwell with us.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /><br />(I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own)</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=daykin-20&amp;o=15&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;asins=0801016207&amp;linkId=e3d782b1ddfc18ed4da4b2e2c35757f1" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div></div></div>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5928915088365477527.post-70827614855316990842016-08-16T13:36:00.001-07:002016-08-16T13:36:17.089-07:00Lamentations - A Festal Garment<span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">One of the books I read this past summer was "<a href="http://amzn.to/2b4vdiW" target="_blank">Five Festal Garments</a>" by Barry G. Webb. This book is part of the <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2600" target="_blank">New Studies in Biblical Theology</a> series from IVP, which is a series of scholarly works tackling various parts or issues within the Bible. There are several topics addressed in this series that I find most&nbsp;intriguing&nbsp;and have found the volumes I've got to have pushed me deeper and challenged me.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">This volume was certainly one that deepened my understanding of the five shortest books of the Old Testament (Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther) by exploring how they fit into the whole of scripture. The reason for the title of the book is that each of these five OT books have been associated with one of the five Jewish festivals. It turns out the Jewish people spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out exactly how to handle these books (as seen by the various places some of these books found themselves in terms of location within the OT) and eventually lined them up with their festivals. This is an interesting use of these books that was not adopted in the Christian Liturgical calendar, but one that is certainly worth considering.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">The one I found most interesting was the use of Lamentations in conjunction with the annual festival on the ninth of ab (mid-summer) which is a day to fast and mourn the tragic events of their people's history. Lament is something we in the western world do not do well and I was really struck at how healthy this day of lament could be. The original intent of Lamentations was to lament the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians. The festival has developed further to commemorate a number of tragic events in Jewish history.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Lament as a whole, corporate or personal, is something that has not translated well into our western evangelical context. We seem to be good at lamenting the sins and misdeeds of our nation but not so good at including ourselves in that equation, corporately or individually. Lamentations serves as a corporate lament for corporate sin. The Bible also has plenty of guidance for personal lament, particularly within the Psalms, giving us words to say in those times when we want to express our grief. Life will always include times of sorrow and proper lament can be healthy and the idea of a time of lament worked into the calendar to force us to pause and lament for what needs to be lamented for could be very healthy.&nbsp;</span>Michael Daykinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466792625648805167noreply@blogger.com0